Analysis of NBA opening-day tripleheader

Joseph Casciaro, theScore's lead NBA reporter, shares his observations and insights from the NBA's opening-day tripleheader.

SGA, OKC make opening-night statement

At no point last season did it look like the Thunder had Victor Wembanyama's Spurs figured out. San Antonio had Oklahoma City's number all year, ending OKC's 16-game win streak early in the season en route to an 8-4 record in the matchup. That success included eliminating the Thunder in the West finals. That's what made Tuesday night's opener such an important victory for OKC.

Spurs fans would surely contend that Wemby's 1-of-13 performance made the game a throw-away outlier, but the Thunder haven't exactly hit their stride, either (see Jalen Williams' 5-of-16 performance), and 7-foot-2 rookie Aday Mara isn't going away any time soon.

Oklahoma City just looked like the better, deeper, more cohesive team on both ends. Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked like he was in a league of his own, finishing with 32 points on a night he only got to the free-throw line four times.

It's a cold reminder that Wembanyama won't simply coast to his first MVP award by playing 65-plus games. He'll actually have to take the Michael Jordan trophy from the reigning two-time winner.

What Knicks learned about new-look Sixers

Tyrese Maxey was the best player on the court as the 76ers spoiled New York's banner night, but it was what transpired when the Knicks forced the ball out of Maxey's hands that was most intriguing.

The last time these two teams matched up - when New York swept Philly out of the postseason's second round - double-teaming Maxey meant giving the Sixers a 4-on-3 advantage using some combination of Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Quentin Grimes. Doing so this time around meant handing that same advantage to a squad now boasting LeBron James and Jaylen Brown alongside Maxey, Embiid, and Edgecombe.

It's an entirely different animal, and the Sixers' new stars made New York pay. James and Brown combined for 13 assists on opening night. George, Oubre, and Grimes combined to average 8.5 dimes last season. It's obviously not a perfect comparison, and not every assist was a result of Maxey drawing extra bodies, but it's an early reminder of how much more dangerous the Sixers are.

How often can Sixers get this from Embiid?

If you didn't watch the game, you might glance at the box score and assume Embiid had a rough night in Philadelphia's road victory. The 2023 MVP did appear out of sorts on the offensive end, where he finished with 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting to go along with six assists and four turnovers. But what Embiid did on the other end should leave Sixers fans feeling cautiously optimistic.

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It wasn't just that Embiid finished with 11 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in 33 minutes; it was the way he looked doing it. Embiid appeared more mobile guarding in space and recovering during the first half than he has in at least a couple of years, while his burst getting off the ground to contest shots and compete for rebounds in the second half was equally encouraging.

On a night where Maxey and Brown combined for 47 points and LeBron James provided a playmaking spark, Embiid's defense was the story. Given how defensively vulnerable the Sixers would be without Embiid, the big question remains: How often can Philly realistically expect to get this version of its star center? Since winning the MVP award, Embiid has suited up for 97 of a possible 247 games (39.3%).

For at least one night, Sixers fans can dare to dream.

Green, Robinson the X-factors for Detroit

From a big-picture perspective, many of the first-half overreactions to Detroit's offensive woes (which you can read below) still stand, but the Pistons' second-half turnaround was a nice reminder that Cade Cunningham only needs a little bit of help to get the job done. The All-NBAer and the Pistons' team defense - led by Ausar Thompson - is that good.

On Tuesday afternoon against Boston, it was Duncan Robinson and unheralded reserve Javonte Green who provided that much-needed boost. Green, who was a career 34% 3-point shooter before breaking out as a 38% shooter last season, canned five of his eight 3-point attempts en route to 19 points in only 18 minutes. Green and Robinson combined to shoot 10-of-17 from deep. The rest of the Pistons were a combined 5-of-23.

Green and Robinson helped the Pistons turn a 22-point deficit into an eight-point win that seemed totally unlikely at halftime.

Paul George has still got it

The Celtics lost their season opener in deflating fashion, but the early returns from Paul George were extremely encouraging.

The nine-time All-Star scored a game-high 38 points - and did so efficiently - while playing his usual brand of effective defense, ultimately finishing with five steals. The Celtics are in trouble if George has to be their best player - the 36-year-old is more of a 3-and-D role player than a game-changer at this stage of his career - but Jayson Tatum isn't likely to have many 6-of-23 nights the rest of the season.

If George can even come close to replicating the type of two-way play we saw from him Tuesday, that should be enough for Tatum and the rest of Boston's core to pile up a bunch of regular-season wins again. George can't shoulder the type of offensive burden and star usage that Jaylen Brown did last season, but there's reason to believe he'll be a cleaner fit than Brown once the Celtics get rolling. Game 1 of 82 showed why, even if the end result was a bummer for Boston.

Detroit's offensive woes surface early

If you wanted to overreact to one half of basketball, you could say that the Pistons' first 24 minutes of the season showed why they remain a tier below the league's blue-chip contenders.

Even en route to 60 wins and the East's top seed last season, Detroit's attack had red flags. Cade Cunningham is a phenomenal talent, but his team's lack of shooting and secondary creation was a problem. The same issues reared their ugly heads in the first half against Boston, whose defense should be even stingier this year with Paul George and Mitchell Robinson replacing Jaylen Brown and Nikola Vucevic.

The Pistons went six minutes without scoring at one point in the second quarter, and they finished the half shooting 4-of-18 from deep. If a single moment epitomized the issue, it would have to be George face-guarding Cunningham as the rest of the Celtics just waited to help while completely ignoring Pistons swingman Ausar Thompson. Detroit needs more threats.

What to watch for

After a dramatic offseason that saw a ton of superstar movement, it's finally time to play basketball and see how all of the moving pieces fit. Luckily for us, opening day gives us a great chance to observe some of the new-look teams.

How will Paul George fit in for the Jaylen Brown-less Celtics when Boston visits last year's No. 1 seed in a season-opening matinee? And can Jalen Duren hit the ground running after the Pistons' star center spent most of the offseason embroiled in a contract dispute?

Meanwhile, the Knicks will raise their first championship banner in 53 years. Then they'll have their hands full with Brown, LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and the rest of the star-studded 76ers. No team has more boom-or-bust potential than Philadelphia.

Finally, the night concludes with a Western Conference finals rematch between Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the two teams unanimously projected to finish atop the league. Will this marquee opening-night matchup serve as the starting point for Victor Wembanyama's first MVP campaign?

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